If you’ve lived around these parts for more than a few years, you know who bizarre the weather can get.
If you’re an outdoors enthusiast, you know what those crazy changes can bring.
This has been one of those winters around the mid-Atlantic, especially when it comes to fishing.
While one endeavor for a big species has been outstanding, it’s been a bit of a tragedy for another.
Speckled trout over the years have developed a great way of handling the cold water that develop when it lingers around freezing.
They call it a “cold stun.”
And it’s really rough on speckled trout that make the shallows of Virginia and North Carolina their home.
North Carolina has put some serious rules into action to prevent the taking of dying or weak fish. Virginia is more strict than it used to be. Read up on all the rules before you go after any specks.
In both states’ waters, trout pretty much head to deeper water to harbor in temperatures that tend to be more steady.
But when it gets super cold, specks tend to rise to the surface to find temperatures warmed by the sun.
When they do so, they appear lethargic and won’t take lures or live baits. Many roll, succumb to the cold and die. Lots of fish lay on shorelines or float around before sinking to the bottom, where nobody knows how many have died.
It’s a scenario that worries most serious trout anglers.
Lots of fish can die and no outdoors person wants to see that.
Keep in mind that this scene has happened before and it has been worse. Trout have been remarkable in making come-backs and the region annually enjoys some of the best fishing action in the country.
Let’s pray this is another one of those years.
Offshore, action for tuna has been quite the opposite – with plenty of giant bluefin willing to play. Blacken and yellowfin tuna have also provided excellent catches.
It’s a case of He gives and He takes away.
And it’s Mother Nature with nothing to very little that we can do.
Hopefully the cold stun isn’t too bad and maybe the run of tuna will continue.
Keep in mind the freshwater world, where yellow perch and crappie have been very active. That action is only going to get better.
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